Conquest Arc:

Chapter 32: White Sunset

? - Morning – 23/11/2012(Friday) - ?
(Friday of Conquest)

Somewhere in the middle of the vast sand desert, a trail of large horse shoe print was seen walking towards the sun. A huge shadow of a warrior riding on a horse was seen facing the bright sun.

"Apep, cease."

The rider crossed his arms, forcing his horse to stop its track. Even without turning his back, he knew the presence of a god standing behind him. His mask hid his expression, but he was joyed to see his long lost 'child'.

"Shu, my child… How long has it been since I last saw you? How long has it been since my step weighted this world?"

"Since the Great War, lord Conquest. You never approached the human world until you see the end of Mayan's Day."

"The Great War… How disastrous that was. The rage of Nuclear Chaos was too powerful to be contained even with Archetype of Bond or even Sage. The Great War will repeat again, this time in the world of humanity."

Conquest proceeded again towards the sun as the god of air disappeared into dust. Quietly, he too disappeared under the sun, unknown where he might appear again.

Naoya Toudou

Afternoon – 23/11/2012(Friday) – Velvet Room

"Ugh…"

He could feel his head spinning like crazy upon regaining his consciousness. The first person he saw was, surprisingly, the Demon Painter of the Velvet Room. His first thought was he and his friends were transported to the Velvet Room.

"Have you slept enough, 'emperor'?" Demon Painter asked as he gazed down on him.

Naoya slowly raised his body and checked all his friends in the room. Maki and Yukino were checking on the weakened Hidehiko on the floor not far from him, Reiji was sitting on one of the chairs while groaning, Ryoji was leaning his body on the wall at the corner of the room with a strange 'ball' next to him, while Eriko… was sitting on one the chair on the left end, sulking alone.

"I'm fine for now, thank you," Naoya replied to Demon Painter. He stood to his feet and checked the room again. Igor was sitting as usual in his chair, accompanied by Theodore to his left. Wait, Nameless and Belladonna were there too? They were standing at the corner of the 'window' behind Igor, staring at him. They didn't sing or playing piano, which made him curious as to where the "Velvet song" coming from.

"So…" Naoya broke the icy cold atmosphere in the room as he approached the chairs and sat on the middle one, crossing his leg. "Can someone tell me what's going on?"

There was a pause before Theodore fake-coughed.

"You were exhausted from the fight with Kazuya Toudou, you lost a massive amount of your power and unable to summon your persona, which made you lost consciousness after the fight. Demon Painter and Nameless were the ones who brought all of you back to this room via the portal left by Conquest, the white rider of the Four Horsemen.

Erio Kirishima and Kazuya Toudou failed to be tracked. Reiji broke his back during the fight with Takahisa Kandori, but we've treated him so don't worry. Yukino Mayuzumi, Eriko Kirishima, and Ryoji Mochizuki sustained only minor injuries. Hidehiko Uesugi, however, is in a critical state and needs natural healing. Wait, is it nature healing? Nay? Natural? Hmm…"

Naoya glanced to the back to see the weakened Hidehiko gasping for air. Maki shook her head when Naoya stared at her. Ryoji looked composed even after the fight-

"Wait a minute…" Naoya noticed the ball next to Ryoji, "Is that…"

"Pandora's Box, the one I've been telling you about. See?" Ryoji showed the sphere to him. But he didn't seem convinced.

"No, it seems… familiar." Naoya half-closed his eyes and thought carefully before he widened his eyes and realized, "Is that what I think it is?"

"Yes," Maki nodded softly, "It is what Nyarlathotep used years ago."

Naoya finally nodded, "[DEVA's Core]."

Naoya took a step back from the core, aka Pandora's Box. It was the DEVA'S Core that Pandora, he meant Maki, tried to use to destroy all reality during their final confrontation at alternate Mikage-Cho 16 years ago.

"What a surprise to see Kandori's final weapon and Pandora's Box to be the same thing."

"I was surprised too," Yukino responded, but she whispered something else between the lines, "But you should worry about Eriko right now. Do something."

Naoya glanced to his left side to see Eriko's pale and sad face. He turned to Yukino and nodded, "On it."

Losing her sister to a demon (Naoya look alike) was a tragic event for her. She didn't even turn to Naoya who sat next to her. She's been very quiet ever since Nyarlathotep took Kazuya and Erio away. According to Maki, she didn't talk to anyone when they entered the Velvet Room. Still, Naoya knew he had to do something.

"Um, Eriko," Naoya began to start his small conversation, "I'm… glad you alright!"

Eriko didn't speak a word.

"You look tired, are you okay?"

Eriko still didn't speak a word.

"If there's anything you want to talk with, I'm here for you-"

"Just leave me alone."

"…Okay."

Naoya gave up and he sat on a chair two spaces away from her.

"Shall we begin, my guests?" Igor suddenly said, after waiting for them to settle down from the fight. Everyone finally focused on him as he began to speak.

"I never expect you to stop Conquest's ceremony, nor do I hope for you to defeat Conquest. But it is regrettable as to what happen to Erio Kirishima. On the other note, Hidehiko Uesugi is in extremely complex state and without a proper cure, he might 'sleep' in his own consciousness. I'm afraid there is nothing much you can do in your state but to leave the rest to the other groups of persona user."

"Hold it," Reiji suddenly intercepted his word, "What do you mean by Hide-kun might 'sleep' in his own consciousness?"

"You described to me about how Hidehiko Uesugi almost drowned in the pond inside the pyramid. I believe that he accidently swallowed a dangerous amount of that water. As a result, it took affected him and strongly reacts to the skill named Nameless Mist. Ah, Naoya mentioned to me about Tatsuya Sudou using this skill weeks ago."

Naoya nodded.

"I take some sample from the pyramid," Maki walked to the table and placed a test tube that contained the water that Hidehiko and Erio bathed in, "Will this help?"

"Kazuya called it [Limbo Recall], any idea what that means?" Naoya added as Igor examined the test tube. Theodore was peeking at the test tube from the side and couldn't help rubbing his chin in curiosity as well.

"Ah, I see…"

"What is it?" Reiji impatiently asked when Igor nodded his head. He returned the tube to Maki before tangling his fingers together again.

"It is what as the name implies," Igor said calmly.

"Which is…?" Naoya leaned forward to hear.

"It is Limbo, the realm of sub-consciousness. This is a sedative powerful enough to enter the realm deeper than Sea of Soul."

"The realm of sub-consciousness?"

"Yes, the hidden world of unconsciousness. This is also, possibly, where your friend is trapped in as well."

"! Is it Nanjo?!"

"Correct."

They were relieved to hear that their friend was still alive somewhere. Igor continued.

"And it is highly possible for him to be trapped there forever, along with your friend right here."

Their face darkened.

"But worry not, I have a medicine for him. It will suppress [Limbo Recall] inside him."

Their face brightened again when they saw Igor revealed a small bottle.

"Although I cannot guarantee it will hold him for long. And, similar to an ally of yours, Yukari Takeba, in the faraway city, Hidehiko Uesugi won't be able to use his persona."

Their face darkened again.

"Wait, where's the antidote for Nanjo?" Maki suddenly asked.

Naoya raised his right eyebrows at Igor out of Maki's sight. Igor gave a fast glance at Naoya as he answered.

"I'm afraid it is too late for Kei Nanjo even with my antidote."

"…I see, that's too bad." Maki said.

"Hide-kun, drink." Yukino opened Hidehiko's mouth and poured the blue liquid into his throat. It wasn't long before his breathing became normal again and his face regained its color. Hidehiko now looked more like sleeping.

"That is all for the meeting today. I shall hold you no longer; you may leave through the door at the back." Igor pointed his finger at the exit door opposite him, "Till we meet again."

One by one, the members of St. Hermelin High persona team left the room. Eriko quietly walked to the exit without averting her eyes from the ground. Naoya felt the need for a second to talk with her, so he diligently followed her from behind. However, a hand stopped him from following her outside.

"Naoya, it's too bad for what happen to Erio," Maki released her hand from Naoya, "And the tomb-"

"You never should have seen what's inside." Naoya voiced his thought with a slight harshness to Maki. Perhaps because of the incident with Nanjo, he became harder with his mindset to keep his secret.

"Naoya," Maki said with Ryoji next to her, "Is that person… the 'sacrifice'?"

Naoya turned quiet before he slightly nodded and spoke.

"I swear to you, everything will come to light. For now, don't tell anyone. I don't want any bad things to happen to you." His eyes suddenly looked sad.

She nodded her head slightly, "Alright. I'm really tired today. Maybe we can talk about this later."

Maki and Ryoji exited the room. Naoya turned to his back to see Igor and the rest of the room's residents quickly averted their eyes away from him. Maybe they knew, maybe they didn't. He finally exited the room.

"Theodore."

Igor suddenly called for Theodore, usually a request will be given to him at this moment. His guess was right when Igor showed him another antidote similar to Hidehiko's.

"Bring this to Yukari Takeba in Tatsumi Port Island."

"Ah, I understand. Right away."

Taking the antidote, Theodore rushed to the portal next to him.

Naoya Toudou

Clear Sky – Afternoon – Hotel, Mikage-Cho

The receptionist stared in confusion when she saw the group walking into the hall after skipping the night at the hotel. Some of them had dirt and sand all over their shirts and some of them have blood at the side of their lips.

"Do you have first aid kit here?" Naoya said to the stunned receptionist.

"We will send it to your room afterward. You didn't sleep here last night. May we know why?"

"Ah, we got into an insane party and slept there. Is there a problem?"

'What a terrible excuse.' Yukino thought, leading Hidehiko to his room. The rest followed afterward into their room to rest.

"I'm going to the hospital after this. Don't wait for me." Reiji said after dressing himself, "Then I'm going to check on Nanjo-kun. Your ride, Naoya."

"Fine," Naoya answered as he returned to his room to fetch his car key. Before entering his room, He saw Eriko's room was opened. Concerned, he peeked inside to see her depressed face.

"Come in."

"Oh!"

He was caught. Cautiously, he sat on the small chair next to the bed where Eriko sat. "I'm just going to sit here…"

It was a complete silence at the first minute of their talk. Naoya was patiently waiting for her to start first, but it was still uncomfortable.

"Erio and I were rarely seen together in the eyes of other people."

Eriko's began.

"But the truth is we are much closer than that. As the older sister, I promise myself that I'll protect her. I think it's for the best when she's away from me when I became a persona user. Then, she returned, during the worst war, she returned and become a part of it. I don't know what to do if anything happens to her."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Naoya responded with a quick answer.

"I don't… blame you, Naoya. Maybe I don't want to blame you. After everything that happened, I don't think I have time to point finger at someone else. I'm blaming myself for being weak. If only I become stronger, more powerful-"

"Eriko." Naoya suddenly stopped her, "That's not your fault. Being the most powerful, doesn't mean that you can save everyone. Don't say that…"

"…?" Eriko tilted her head slightly, trying to decrypt his words. Naoya finally rose from his chair and stood in front of Eriko with both hands in his pocket.

"I promise you this, I'll save Erio no matter what happen, and I'm taking Kazuya down."

The air around Naoya changed again. Odd, Eriko seemed to know when another side of him started to appear. His eyes suddenly became cold and strong, as if there's a message hidden in it.

"I want to check on Kido, so yeah." The bright side of Naoya returned, "See you later then. And please, smile a bit."

"…Sure." Eriko forced a smile as she turned her face away from him.

"Now that's a cute smile."Naoya gave a small smile in return.

"Just go."

"Okay."

He escaped the room in a flash.

Yu Narukami

Heavy Rainy – Afternoon – Yasoinaba High, Inaba

"Now that's a cute smile!"

Yu's homeroom teacher, Miss Noriko, said after seeing her students' expression. Perhaps due to the abnormal weather and recent incidents in Inaba, the teachers had to inform again in case some students forgot about it. Of course, their expressions were of despair when they heard their teacher's announcement.

"Oh no…" Yosuke muttered, looking at Chie at his front seat. Chie turned around, revealing a face of despair as well. Yukiko however looked calm and composed, even after that shocking news.

"Oh? I see our top student looks surprise!" Miss Noriko said.

To everyone surprise, the number one guy in school, Yu Narukami, was among those with a terrified expression.

"I know you just got transferred weeks ago, but I think that's not an excuse, isn't?" Miss Noriko teased, "Or do you want to come to my 'special' class?"

'Somebody save me!'

Yu thought. He was already sweating bullet when his teacher stared at him with an erotic smile. Yosuke was ready to puke any moment now while the rest shivered in fear.

Ringgggg!

"Oh, the class is over. See you next week~!"

As Miss Noriko left the room, Yosuke and Chie hurriedly gathered around Yu's table.

"Yu-kun, help me!" Chie plead.

"Yu!" Yosuke called.

"We've been chasing around shadow for too long that we completely forget about it." Yu said with a worried face.

"H-Hey, maybe they'll cancel it, you know? The world's gonna end, so who cares about it?" Yosuke said in the panic. But Chie disagreed.

"So what happen after we save the world? The world's not going to stop for us just because we save it."

"S-Still…"

However, the calm Yukiko entered the circle.

"I thought you guys knew about it. That's why I ask Tengu to be my worker since I need extra time to study."

"Why didn't you remind us, Yukiko?" Chie said sadly, "Now my dream will be destroyed before the world does."

Just then, loud footsteps approached their class. When they turned to the door, Kanji, Rise, and Naoto were standing there. Naoto, like Yukiko, seemed composed.

"Yu-senpai, please teach me!" Rise plead.

"Senpai, let's do a study group at your house!" Kanji suggested.

"You don't have to teach me, but maybe I need your guidance too." Naoto said with a bit of redness on her cheek.

Yu's eyes were spinning at different direction as his team swarmed around him while talking at the same time. For some reason, he felt that Marie will not forgive him for this.

'Marie, I'm sorry for making you wait a little longer. But we have to take this.'

The Investigation Team will have their final exam next week.

Evening – Limbo?

It was cold, extremely cold, even with the clothes he wore. It was dark and he barely heard anything. He felt dead, but at the same time, he was breathing and sensing. It was like he's in space, far from the world and reality.

Then, he heard a nostalgic voice, calling out for him. He reached his hand, trying to grasp the memory of the voice that screamed for his name. It was a feeling of a drowned man trying to reach the surface above the water. Then-

"Nanjo-sama!"

"!"

It was strange that his vision was more than perfect, even without his glasses. He could clearly see the man he owed his life to years ago when he first gained his persona.

"Yamaoka?!"

"Oh, Nanjo-sama, I am both happy and sad to see you here."

"Ya…Yamaoka… No, this isn't real."

"Maybe it's not, Nanjo-sama."

"…But how I miss you…"

No matter how serious and cold he was, Nanjo is still a human. He admitted it, he wept, seeing someone who made him the man he is today. Ignoring Yamaoka's reaction, Nanjo hugged him.

"Yamaoka, where is this place?" Nanjo observed his surrounding to see a dark space-like area with reddish fog lighting the place. Yamaoka turned silent and tried to calm him for his next word.

"This is where the unfortunate soul went, and where the 'shadows' were imprisoned."

"…" Nanjo thought something when he heard those words. A bit of faith inside him was about to lost when he realized something.

"Yamaoka, you're here. Which mean… am I dead?"

"I do not dare to speak, Nanjo-sama."

"I'm…" Nanjo refused to cry, but he was devastated by his early fall in the war against Four Horsemen, even with all the supports he gave. It was a shame to him as an heir to Nanjo family.

"I have failed you, Yamaoka. I failed to make your dream come true."

"You have never failed me, Nanjo-sama. You did your best. I am always proud of you."

"If only I wasn't so careless…" Nanjo said angrily, "I was so close to revealing what a lying bastard Naoya is."

"Naoya Toudou, a friend of yours? What do you mean, Nanjo-sama? What have Mr. Toudou done?"

"Don't you get it? Naoya is the one-"

"Hey! You're too noisy!"

Nanjo's sentence was interrupted by a man's voice. He turned to his right to see a young man standing at the far end of that space. He shifted his eyes back to Yamaoka with a curious gaze.

"We are not the only one, Nanjo-sama." Yamaoka confessed, "Follow me, we should go to our 'place'."

Lending Nanjo a hand, Yamaoka lead him to where the young man was standing. The young man was probably in his late teens but very tall for his age. He was wearing a simple maroon coat, black pants, and brown shoes. A beanie covered most of his shaggy brown hair.

"What are you looking at?" The young man hissed, "You're dead, like me and the rest. You're no different than us."

"You're quite a punk for a dead kid," Nanjo commented, passing by the young man with Yamaoka leading him, "Do you know who you're talking to?"

"Not a clue, I don't watch TV," The young man replied. "But I don't care, honestly."

"Watch you manner, kid." Nanjo said in a stronger tone.

"Tch, whatever. Follow me."

"Since you are too outdated to not recognize me, I'll introduce myself. Nanjo, Kei Nanjo."

The three of them walked to the bright place in front of them as Nanjo introduced himself. The young man, seeing his respond, finally decided to uncover his identity.

"Fine. I'm Shinjiro," He introduced himself, "Shinjiro Aragaki."

Clear Sky – Dust – Hotel, Mikage-Cho

It was a minute away from sunset. Maki was taking her own time alone at the parking lot, trying to understand everything that happened today. As if it wasn't complex enough with the Pandora's box that Ryoji brought, she realized there was a giant plan for this war.

"There's something else…"

Just when she's about to lost in her thought, another presence approached her. Somehow she knew it was Ryoji who was looking for her.

"Maki-san, sorry if you're busy. Naoya told me your friend Reiji at the hospital is fine. Just wanted to inform you that."

"No, I'm glad to have extra company."

The sky was turning dark when they started their conversation.

"Maki-san, who is it?" Ryoji asked, "You can tell me."

"I can't. I promised Naoya." Maki sadly said.

"Maki-san," Ryoji placed his hand on his chest and confessed, "I'm the vessel of Death. I will, unwillingly, attack my friends and even hurt Minato on the Day of Judgment."

Maki widened her eyes to hear his confession. She shook her head in denial and replied.

"But that's just a theory, right?" Maki said, "Father Time said you'll be a perfect vessel, but he never said you will be one."

"No, I WILL be the vessel of Death. I know that. If I can, I'll ask anyone to put an end to me to cancel the prophecy. That way, Death can never descend. But I want to know why this war exists. More than anyone, I think I have the right to know."

"You…" Maki was surprised to hear his true motive, "From the beginning, you always wanted to sacrifice yourself?!"

"Why else would I jump into Apep's mouth?" Ryoji sarcastically chuckled as he continued.

"I know I'm being selfish. I asked Minato to kill me three years ago too, but he didn't. Seeing how he wished for me to live, I just can't make that decision again, to die. So please, Maki-san. Tell me the truth."

Seeing how Ryoji bowed his head to her instantly softened her heart. She thought for a while before telling him to lean closer. "You have to believe me, alright?"

Maki whispered something in Ryoji's ear. He was so shocked to hear the answer that he shook his head in disbelief.

"Maybe you're mistaken. That… can't be, right?"

"Ryoji-kun, I know only one person like him. I never mistaken." Maki sounded angry, making Ryoji surprised for a moment.

"O-Okay, I believe you, but how?"

"I don't know, but I know what I saw," Maki claimed. Eventually, the sunset closed the long day in Mikage-Cho. Maki reminisced the moment she glanced into the tomb and saw the man inside.

"The sacrifice for Conquest is-"

That Friday, something in the world was changing.

Conquest Arc - End

A/N: Finally, the 'Conquest' arc is completed! This arc is a bit slow for the progress if I do say so myself. Still, I'm quite enjoying this arc. Since the first rider has descended, we should go to the next rider, War!

No, sorry, can't do that. I want to continue the 'Paradox' arc with Minato's and Hamuko's story. Maybe I'll start writing 'War' arc after I reach halfway in 'Paradox' arc. So yes, we're only a quarter way from finishing this story.

About this chapter, the realm of sub-consciousness, or 'Limbo', does exist in Jungian theory, where the people share the world in the infinite raw of unconsciousness. (You know, like that movie 'Inception', if you watch it…) So in case you didn't understand, Nanjo is basically trapped in the realm of sub consciousness without knowing that he's still alive.

Remember, the Investigation Team is supposed to be in their final year. Soooooo… Life doesn't stop just because they save the world. So this is their break before their arc.

The guy who talked to Nanjo? Yes, you read that name right. He's right there in the Limbo world with Nanjo. It didn't stop there. You're going to see more soon.

The last thing about this arc, about Conquest's sacrifice, I will come back to it later. So, until then, Merry Christmas to all my readers! See you all next year in 2016…